The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 29 5-for-17 against Arizona — not a sterling percentage, but one that didn't draw so much as a side glance from his coaches. "They have so much confidence in me," Cadeau said. "I missed a lot of shots today. I had a lot of turnovers today, but I didn't hear one thing about that from the coaching staff. It just helps me stay calm. If I turn the ball over, I look over and they're calm. So, that just helps me stay calm as well." Regarding the shots, May revealed a couple of the misses were actually passes off the backboard, a strategy developed to make lobs easier against a lengthy group of Arizona defenders. He also re- iterated the input necessary to usher a confident point guard onto the floor. That remained true right until one of the most crucial shots of the national cham- pionship game went in, and beyond. "Well, I think everyone knows, the green light is earned in our program," May stressed. "I've seen the work that he's put in. When we signed him, it's the same thing. We did a deep dive and re- ally analyzed — we heard the stories and whatever the case. … "When we watched his shots, I felt like just on film, he had a good shot. Some- times certain things kept him from tak- ing the highest-quality shots, and that's the part I didn't know. So, when we met with him, it was more or less that this is our shot diet, our shot profile, and if you'll buy into this, you're going to be an efficient shooter and scorer. We don't want anyone on the roster that you don't have to guard. "But when you see him hit that shot, the first thing I could think about is all the work he's put in. He's been fairly consistent before, practice after prac- tice, working on the shots he's going to get. I didn't realize it, but when the ball got kicked back to him, one of the as- sistants said something along the lines of why haven't you shot it yet? What are you thinking about? Just shoot it again." May also recognized something in Cadeau that perhaps the player himself hadn't realized up to this point. Like sev- eral of the head coach's quality imports, Cadeau had it within him to step up in the big games, on the biggest stages. "Yeah, the thing with Elliot and Yaxel [Lendeborg] and Morez [Johnson Jr.] and Aday [Mara] and these guys, all the portal guys, when we've played on the biggest stages in the most important moments, their play has been elevated," May said. "The assistant coaches, we were talking about it before the [semifinal] game, were like, 'Elliot's going to have a big game be- cause of the way Arizona defends, but also just because of the stage.' He's fearless. He's incredibly competitive. "And his basketball IQ is off the charts. And so, we felt very confident, when you have someone that can control the game like he does, and also push tempo, and then when he's not in foul trouble, he's a pest defensively, and he cancels ball screens. He gets you out of your offense. He's been awesome for us." APPRECIATED AND UPLIFTED Cadeau's teammates witnessed the point guard's growth play out before their eyes. Put into the right situation, with the proper chess pieces placed around him, Cadeau could checkmate with the best of them. Actually, better than the best, given the championship banner now flying and the MOP trophy firmly on the shelf. "The difference between his game now and last year is, he was more so pass- first," noted Lendeborg, the grad trans- fer and Big Ten Player of the Year. "He's pass-first now, but he's become way more of a scoring threat. You can't guard him anyway. Having to compete with him and trying to stop him when you think he's go- ing to pass? It's good night, pretty much, honestly. If he's having a bad game, I feel like it's not on the defense. It's on him. He's done a great job of controlling the tempo and being instant offense, when- ever we've needed it." "He does an amazing job dissecting the offense," graduate guard Nimari Burnett added. "He makes it so much easier for us, all around the court, that play with him. Just getting us easy shots … his patience, speed and deceptiveness. He just makes the game easier for all of us. I'm just joyful to play with him every single game." May agreed resoundingly, regarding the smarts and speed factors. "I was actually watching film with one of the guys yesterday, and I was show- ing him a few of Elliot's clips, and basi- cally just trying to help him see what Elliot saw, because he's a savant with what he's doing," May emphasized. "He probably doesn't even realize all the things that he's doing because he's so intelligent. He's able to get us in close-out opportunities with- out really having to run any offense. His ability to read the floor, read the game and manipulate defense is incredibly impres- sive. "You factor in his speed and quick- ness to get to wherever he needs to with the ball, because of that you can't really pressure him. He's done a lot for us and he's continued to improve. His shooting is valuable when they try to go under, to punish that coverage. He's what we want in a point guard. He's a guy that makes everyone on the team better." And Cadeau? He's basking in every sec- ond of arguably the best season of Michi- gan basketball ever. "It's a feeling I can't describe in words," Cadeau assured. "Everybody was just so happy for each other, and for themselves." ❏ The MOP Stands Ready To Run It Back Michigan will feature a very different basketball team next season, in terms of key person- nel. Graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg heads out the door, following, in his words, "the best year of my life." Junior center Aday Mara and sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. could soon follow him to the NBA. Head coach Dusty May will throw the levers to keep Michigan in high gear. It won't be a tough sell, with strong players across the nation wanting in on what he's got going in Ann Arbor. But there's one key position group he just needs to bolster, not remake. The young man running the show from the backcourt, Elliot Cadeau, is coming back. So is freshman two- guard Trey McKenney, who nailed the close-out three-pointer against UConn in the national championship game. Both of them assured all they're in the fold for 2026-27. And they're on the same page as their head coach, with next year's Final Four playing out in the nearby Motor City. When May left the court in Indianapolis following the national title clincher, he said this: "Now we start thinking about Detroit." — John Borton